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The English Restaurant

SquareMeal Review of
The English Restaurant

”A complete joy – a lovely venue”, proclaimed one fan of these brown-fronted, 17th-century listed premises, which scream tradition with their promise of ‘dinners and old wines, ports, game in
season, shellfish…’ The ground floor’s charming all-wood interior has a touch of the East End boozer about it, but things get more refined in the comfy upstairs dining room, with its shaker-style
design and green/beige colour scheme. Early risers can start the day with a fried-egg sandwich or full English fry-up, although the main menu leavens its patriotic offer of oyster fritters,
devilled whitebait and queen of puddings with some interlopers in the shape of beef carpaccio with artichoke and pickled horseradish, scallops with cauliflower couscous or braised pork belly with
sauerkraut and black pudding. The “extensive” wine list is a terrific read, with excellent tasting notes and some off-beat selections.

This was a complete joy – a lovely venue, in just the right place for our subsequent event, great food and lovely service. This restaurant reminds me of the kind of place that can be found on many corners in Paris but is sadly rare and hard to find in the UK. The food was beautifully prepared, of very good quality and fairly priced. The room was comfortable, cosy, not too noisy and pleasantly lit. I was impressed that diners can order from the (cheaper) lunch menu up to 6.30pm because this provides a kind of pre-theatre, pre-doing-something-else option which is very useful.

I chose The English Restaurant as a valentines dinner treat for my boyfriend because he loves game dishes and it would be something a bit different. The scallops, whitebait and Tuna were all excellent. They also had a good selection of wines, including half bottles which are great for a school night. It was clear that they take a lot of care with their food and drink selection, but without any sort of pretentious atmosphere. It was just a comfortable place to have great food and a good drink. The staff was also very accommodating and friendly, taking time to chat with us and seating us about 30 min early on the night when we arrived well before our booking.
We will definitely be back.

1

The English Restaurant boasts two private dining spaces. Beneath a lantern-style skylight on the top floor, an open studio can host parties and events for up to 50, from drinks and canapés to full three-course dinners. For smaller parties of up to 16 there’s a Wren-period, fully-panelled dining room around a George III-style table, with a real open fire for winter.